Women's Basketball Hold off Campbell For Victory,65-61
BUIES CREEK, NC -- Coastal Carolina (2-1) held off a late Campbell University (1-3) rally for a thrilling 65-61 women's basketball victory on Monday night in Carter Gym.
Over the past two years, Coastal Carolina has sunk a shot in the final seconds of the game to defeat Campbell by one. The Lady Chanticleers took a different approach this time out in taking a big lead against the Lady Camels. But, it was Campbell's turn to make a thrilling conclusion.
orced to sit through another close game, surviving a Campbell rally from as
many as 16 down to escape Carter Gym with their third meeting in three
years.
Coastal, leading by as many as 16 points in the second period, saw Campbell close the gap to within three in the waning seconds. While the Lady Camels made the game close and a little tense for CCU Head Coach Alan LeForce, the result was the same as the past three meetings.
Coastal Carolina held a 13-point lead at the half as sophomore guard Nikki Reddick led the Lady Chants with 12 points and four assists. Reddick was 2-for-5 from three-point range and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line in the first half. She finished with a team-high 22 points, four assists and three steals.
The Lady Camels changed their defense in the second half, countering with some double-teaming and working away at the Lady Chants' lead, whittling it down to single digits when Campbell guard Stacey Hinkle (Thomasville, N.C./Ledford) sunk one of her two treys with 5:10 remaining in the game. Lady Chants' guard Whitney Shearer, who scored six points in the final five minutes of the game, stretched the lead back to 10 with a lay-up, but Campbell countered with two of forward April Cromartie's (Garland, N.C./Union) game-high 24 points.
A pair of baskets by Cromartie and a pair of free-throws from freshman guard Vakara Forrest (Hayes, Va./Gloucester) cut the lead to four before Shearer hit two more to keep CCU just ahead of Campbell with 2:38 remaining.
Shearer then sealed the CCU win when she stole a Cromartie pass at mid-court with :02 left in the game.
In addition to Reddick's 22 points and Shearer's 16 points, center Crystal Brown tallied a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the win.
Hinkle was the only other Lady Camel to tally double-digits, scoring 10 points and adding five assists. Carrie Emory (Newport, N.C./West Carteret) led the offense with six assists and a steal, while Jessica Stanley (Rushville, Ohio/Fairfield Union) scored a career-high eight points in the loss.
Campbell remains busy with a road game at Norfolk State on the schedule this Wednesday. The Lady Camels will return to Carter Gym for their Atlantic Sun opener on Saturday against Belmont University at 2 p.m. Coastal Carolina will travel to UNC Wilmington on Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. meeting with the Lady Seahawks.
